Welcome to Rochdale
Pioneering, Proud, Passionate
Welcome from Samantha Smith
Thank you for your interest in joining Rochdale Borough Council as our Assistant Director of Finance and Deputy Section 151 Officer.
This is an important appointment for the Council and an exciting opportunity for an ambitious finance leader to make a meaningful contribution to the borough of Rochdale. You will join us at a time when strong financial leadership, sound judgement and the ability to turn insight into action have never been more important. Working closely with me, our senior leadership team and elected members, you will help shape our financial strategy and ensure we continue to direct our resources towards the outcomes that matter most to our residents.
I know this role well, having previously held it myself, and I understand both the demands and the opportunities it brings. You will inherit experienced, committed and welcoming teams with deep knowledge of the organisation and a genuine connection to the borough. Many colleagues have built long careers at Rochdale, and that loyalty says a great deal about our culture. We value expertise, collaboration and public service, and we want our new Assistant Director to build on those strengths.
There is also a clear opportunity to lead change. We want to make better use of our systems and data, automate more of our processes and strengthen the analytical, forward-looking contribution that finance makes across the Council. This will require a leader who can bring people with them, create confidence to test new approaches and help established teams move from transactional delivery towards even greater insight and organisational impact.
We are open-minded about the experience you may bring. You might already be working at assistant director or deputy Section 151 level, or you may be an experienced head of service ready to take the next step. Your background could be in corporate finance, service finance or a related environment with comparable governance and complexity. What matters is that you combine strong technical credibility with political awareness, inclusive leadership and a genuine commitment to improving services for our communities.
If you are excited by the opportunity to help shape the future of finance at Rochdale, I hope you will learn more about the role and the authority and that you’ll consider joining us. I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Samantha Smith
Director of Corporate Services, Section 151 Officer
Rochdale Borough Council
An ambitious borough with exciting plans for the future
Rochdale is entering an exciting period of growth and investment. Major regeneration programmes, including Atom Valley, Northern Gateway and continued investment across Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton, are creating significant opportunities for our residents, businesses and communities.
Atom Valley is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, with plans to create 20,000 jobs and 7,000 new homes across Rochdale, Bury and Oldham. Alongside this, we are building on the successful delivery of major projects including Rochdale Riverside, new transport infrastructure, expanding business parks and the restoration of our Grade I-listed Town Hall.
As Deputy S151 Officer, you will join us at a pivotal time. You will play an important role in maintaining strong financial stewardship while helping the Council translate its ambitions into sustainable investment, high-quality services and better outcomes for our communities.